Four girls teams from the Times News area will be in action Saturday in the District 11 Class 4A playoffs.

Lehighton, Northwestern, Palmerton and Tamaqua all hope to pull off wins during the quarterfinal round and advance to Wednesday’s semifinals.

The Indians are the top seed in the bracket.

Below are preview capsules for all four games:

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 4A Quarterfinal

No. 1 Lehighton (23-2) vs. No. 8 Blue Mountain (12-11)

Saturday, Feb. 21 at Palmerton, 1 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Lehighton earned its first championship in the Colonial League playoffs, and will now look to add another as the top seed in districts. The Indians’ first test will be Blue Mountain, who defeated Saucon Valley 39-36 in its first-round matchup. Once rivals in the Schuylkill League, the two combatants now square off for the first time this season. The Tribe will look to senior leader Olivia Serfass to carry the weight of playoff pressure. Serfass spent the previous two seasons with Marian Catholic, who reached the second round of state playoffs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lehighton - Olivia Serfass (12.04 ppg), Ryleigh Trotman (10.72 ppg), Leah Uyvari (9.32 ppg, 36 three-pointers), Brielle Parliman (6.48 ppg, 25 three-pointers), Ava Serfass (6.04 ppg).

Blue Mountain - Mila Fleagle (9.7 ppg), Hailey Place (9.0 ppg), Callie Peel (8.3 ppg), Karley Koch (6.5 ppg), Delaney Walborn (4.7 ppg, 22 three-pointers).

BY THE NUMBERS

0 - The number of district championships Lehighton has won. Just like winning its first-ever league title, the Indians are looking to do the same in districts.

5 - The number of players on Blue Mountain with over 100 points on the season. Despite not having a standout scorer, the Eagles possess a very balanced offensive attack that makes defending them a challenge.

43 - Lehighton has held its opponents to 43 or less points in all but one game (a 51-49 OT loss to Northwestern) this season.

766 - The number of days since these two teams last played each other (1/15/24). Blue Mountain defeated its former Schuylkill League foe 32-24.

2024 - The last time Blue Mountain won a basketball championship of any kind. The Eagles defeated North Schuylkill 30-19 to win their first-ever Schuylkill League title.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Blue Mountain is a feisty scrappy team with a no-quit attitude. I believe they will be intense on defense, and try to press us in order to get us from settling down and getting the ball inside. We are going to work on press-breaking schemes and mental toughness as we enter ... district play.” — Indians’ head coach Nadia Gauronsky.

District 11 Class 4A Quarterfinal

No. 4 Tamaqua (16-7) vs. No. 5 North Schuylkill (16-8)

Saturday, Feb. 21 at Pottsville, 1 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Two teams who have become very familiar with each other in the playoffs clash once again — in districts this time. The Spartans came out on top over Tamaqua in each of the previous two Schuylkill League semifinals (42-37 in 2024, and 39-38 in 2025). In this season’s league playoffs, the Blue Raiders came up short against Mahanoy Area 44-40 in the quarterfinals, while North Schuylkill fell to Lourdes in the semifinals. Both teams are 1-1 against each other this season, with Tamaqua taking the first match 46-43 in OT, and the Spartans dominating the second game 51-28.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tamaqua - Millie Black (13.26 ppg), Lauren Ligenza (11.13 ppg), Kendle Miller (8.84 ppg, 28 three-pointers), Leah Black (5.24 ppg), Elaina Coleman (3.2 ppg, 11 pts against Mahanoy).

North Schuylkill - Monica Selgrade (7.7 ppg), Mya Conti (16.5 ppg, 32 three-pointers), Ella Digris (5.0 ppg, 38 three-pointers), Gianna Capone (9.0 ppg, 33 three-pointers), Jadelin Stitzer (4.3 ppg, 9.24 rpg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The number of wins Tamaqua has against North Schuylkill since January 2020 when they defeated the Spartans 66-57. The Raiders have gone 1-13 against the Spartans since then, with its only win coming earlier this season.

3 - Referring to the three-peat Tamaqua earned in 2009, 2010 and 2011 winning three straight district titles with the first two in 2A and the third in 3A, which happens to be its most recent title.

10 - The number of district championships North Schuylkill has won over its previous 30 seasons, with the most recent coming in 2020 in Class 3A.

31 - The number of combined points Lauren Ligenza had against North Schuylkill this season, with 20 in the first game and 11 in the second. Ligenza led the Raiders in scoring during both games.

396 - The number of points on the season for Spartans’ senior Mya Conti, making her North Schuylkill’s most potent offensive weapon.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“We are familiar with North Schuylkill, and our girls have been locked in on the details that will put us in a good position to win. We emphasized that it starts with what’s between the ears and believing in themselves and in each other. It’s not a complicated game plan. We need to do the little things that we pointed out in film: patience against their press, rebound, make foul shots, get stops, and put the ball in the basket. Each girl has a role, and everyone on the floor needs to fulfill that role. We can’t let bad plays spiral and allow their chaos to turn things over. Every possession matters in a game like this. Having a competitive attitude all week has been a point of emphasis, and our girls are going to hopefully carry everything we’ve repped and worked on into Saturday’s game.” — Raiders’ head coach Erika Davis.

District 11 Class 4A Quarterfinal

No. 6 Wilson (16-7) vs. No. 3 Palmerton (16-7)

Saturday, Feb. 21 at Catasauqua, 12 p.m.

LEADING OFF

The same two Colonial League programs that played last year meet again in the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals. The Bombers return as the No. 3 seed, while the Warriors are again the No. 6 seed. Both teams look to rebound from tough Colonial League playoff losses. The Bombers fell to Catasauqua 52-37, while the Warriors dropped a 55-48 decision to eventual champion Lehighton. The regular-season meeting this year — won by Palmerton — required overtime to decide the winner. “I was certainly happy to get the win last time against the Warriors,” said Bombers head coach Jeremy Coleman,” especially considering that traveling to Wilson is not an easy place to play. However, I believe we didn’t execute as well as we could have ... I believe we are a more experienced and composed team now than we were at that time.” Warriors head coach Meagan Eripret has helped turn the program around since taking over four years ago. After missing the postseason in her first two seasons, Wilson has now reached the playoffs in back-to-back years.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wilson – Juliana Bonham (So., 18.36 ppg, 30 3-pointers), Tessa Bonham (So., 6.68 ppg), Kiera Hartzell-Hamm (Sr., 6.45 ppg), Emma Dalpe (Jr., 5.36 ppg, 17 3-pointers), Carlyna Stackhouse (Sr., 4.64 ppg)

Palmerton – Cate Morgan (Sr., 9.95 ppg, 22 3-pointers), Hailey Barry (Sr., 8.61 ppg, 36 3-pointers), Emma Rex (Sr., 7.91 ppg, 17 3-pointers), Avery Barry (Fr., 5.43 ppg, 30 3-pointers), Alisyn Green (Sr., 3.78 ppg)

BY THE NUMBERS

2 - The number of times Bombers seniors Emma Rex, Cate Morgan and Hailey Barry all scored in double figures in the same game. One came against Jim Thorpe on Jan. 23. The other was Jan. 8, when Morgan (20 points), Rex (14) and Barry (12) combined for 46 points in their 56-54 overtime win over Wilson.

4 - The number of upperclassmen — Kat Colon, Lianah Thomas, Carlyna Stackhouse and Kiera Hartzell-Hamm — on Wilson’s roster. Hartzell-Hamm was the lone senior starter in the regular-season meeting. The remaining seven players are underclassmen — two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.

11 - The jersey number worn by Wilson standout Juliana Bonham, who leads the team in total points (404), rebounds (210), assists (88), steals (83), blocks (21) and turnovers (85). The sophomore guard scored a game-high 23 points in the Jan. 8 matchup.

14 - The margin of victory by Palmerton in last year’s playoff matchup with Wilson — a 55-41 decision.

.618 – Wilson’s free-throw percentage (168-for-272). Juliana Bonham leads the team at 67.3% (68-for-101).

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“I am confident with the game plan we have in place for Wilson, and I am excited for the opportunity the girls have before them. It should be a great atmosphere at Catty, and should be a very competitive game. Tight games usually come down to layups and foul shots, and we have been training to do well in both regards ... Looking at the District 11 4A class it seems to be a very balanced field. I believe you could see any one of these teams go on a run and win the title.” — Palmerton head coach Jeremy Coleman.

District 11 Class 4A Quarterfinal

No. 7 Central Catholic (11-11) vs.

No. 2 Northwestern (20-4)

Saturday, February 21, 1:30 p.m. at Catasauqua

LEADING OFF

Allentown Central Catholic may be the most dangerous seventh seed in District 11. Their 11-11 record doesn’t really tell the story of their season. In the EPC, the Vikettes went 11-5 this season, but dropped all six of their non-conference games. Central Catholic’s schedule has games against some of the toughest teams across Pennsylvania, including Phoenixville out of District 1 and Saint Hubert Catholic from District 12. Those opponents wreak havoc on their regular season record, but they also prepare Central’s players to face strong competition. Northwestern has had its share of ups and downs against the Vikettes in district tournaments over the years.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern Lehigh - Natalie Conner (21 points per game, team-high 76 three-pointers); Hannah Gober (7.1 ppg); Olivia Reinhart (5.3 ppg); Emma Freeman (5.6 ppg)

Allentown Central Catholic - Morgan Seagreaves (9.7 ppg); Skylar Taylor (7.8 ppg); Shamiya Roberts (7.7 ppg), Alyssa Hursh (6.1 ppg)

BY THE NUMBERS

2 - The number of times Northwestern and Central Catholic have met in the district quarterfinals in the last four seasons. The teams have split the two games, with the Vikettes loss marking the only season in the last five that they did not win a district championship, and the Tigers loss marking the only season in the last five that they did not reach the district semifinals.

3 - The number of consecutive District 11 4A championships for Central Catholic coming into this year’s postseason. Also, the number of consecutive appearances in the district semifinals for Northwestern Lehigh.

19 - The average margin of victory for the Tigers this season. Northwestern has scored 52.8 ppg, and allowed 33.8 ppg this season.

42 - The number of points that Natalie Conner needs to reach the 1,000-point milestone. If she reaches the mark this postseason, she will become the first Northwestern player to reach the mark as a sophomore.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Now that we’re in the postseason, you have to expect that you are going to be in tight games. I have to believe that playing a lot of tight games during the regular season has helped us. We didn’t play a lot of close games last year and when we got into the postseason, I think that affected us a little. It really comes down to execution, a lot of times it comes down to who executes the best, who handles the pressure situations the best. We played a couple games where it has been a game of spurts, and games like that come down to who handles the pressure well and hangs in there. We also had some games that were tight and came down to the final couple of minutes, so we have to be able to handle that. I think whichever team executes and does the fundamental things right is going to have an advantage.” — Northwestern head coach Chris Deutsch